School Board Meeting November 16, 2016 Part 1

to our November 16 board meeting.

I would like to do roll call.

Director Blanford.

Here.

Director Burke.

Here.

Director Geary.

Here.

Director Harris.

Here.

Director Peters.

Here.

Director Pinkham.

Here.

Director Patu.

Here.

Let's all stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

We have our recognition and um We have a student performance from Van Asselt music makers.

Okay board of directors please take a seat.

Good afternoon everybody.

My name is Celeste Flock.

I am the new music teacher at Van Asselt Elementary this year and these lovely students that you see behind me. are some members of the Van Asselt Music Makers otherwise known as VAM.

VAM was started I believe by Mr. Paul Fowler many years ago and this is an extracurricular group for Van Asselt students through grades 3, 4 and 5 to perform for our cultural heritage assemblies, for school board meetings.

It's just a chance for them to sing and play instruments outside of the general music classroom.

So the first song that we're going to do.

is actually a song we are performing tomorrow at our cultural heritage assembly.

We are going to be celebrating Native American heritage.

The song you are about to hear is called the ghost dance song and here is a little information about it.

The Pawnees lived in Kansas and Nebraska.

Their reverence for the sun and the moon, the morning star and the evening star are reflected in the spirit dance.

The dancers would gather at sundown and dance all through the night until the rising of the morning star.

This is the ghost dance song and I hope you enjoy it.

We had Milo instead on drums everybody.

I was just thinking maybe I should move over a little that way so you can see him a little better.

Okay so the last song we're going to perform for you was a song that we did at the beginning of the school year for our African Heritage Assembly.

The song is called Funga Alafia and it comes from the Yoruba language.

The song I believe comes from Gambia and the translation of the song is welcome my friends I greet you in peace.

And this is I think one of their best songs.

I've had so much fun teaching it to them and it's a lot of fun.

So this is Funga Alafia, I hope you enjoy it.

Welcome my friends I greet you in peace.

Welcome my friends I greet you in peace.

Welcome my friends I greet you in peace.

Welcome my friends I greet you in peace.

Ugalapia, Ashe, Ashe.

Ugalapia, Ashe, Ashe.

Welcome, my friends, I greet you with peace.

Welcome, my friends, I greet you with peace.

Ashe, Ashe.

Ashe, Ashe.

Ashe, Ashe.

Let's give them another hand.

Wasn't that a great performance?

Well we want to thank you all for being here today.

We hope you enjoyed our performance.

We do cultural heritage assemblies every month at Van Asselt.

We have a very diverse community and the heritage assemblies are just a really fun thing to put together and perform.

But now I would like to introduce Mr. Milo Enstad who has designed all of these instruments on his own and I'm going to let him share because they're really cool.

Hello.

Today I'd like to introduce these instruments that I've invented.

First of all, I have this horn that I made.

It's a bagpipe.

Uh, ish instrument?

Everything I make is an instrument-ish.

Uh...

Uh...

We are having some tech problems.

Tech problems.

Tech problems.

This next instrument that I made as you can see it was made out of a shovel that I cut up.

I hope you can hear that.

This is the next instrument that I've made.

And it has one string.

This is based off a a instrument that country singers would like start off playing and it's called a diddly bow and it's made from a cigar box and just a piece of wood that I cut and put on and

The last one.

Wait.

This is the first electric instrument that I've made.

I had the idea for an electric guitar from electric guitars.

And so I went to this place to get electronic and stuff.

And I didn't know what I was doing.

And I just soldered it together and stuff.

And put this piece of 2 by 4 on it.

Yeah.

So you heard him here first.

You'll recognize him in years to come.

Milo plays the villain in our school musical this year.

He's going to be doing the musical for the third year.

That's going to happen in February if you want to come out to Van Asselt and then later Rainier Beach High School right before midwinter break.

Several of these students are going to join us in the production of the Aristocats.

Thank you all very much.

Wasn't that amazing?

Very talented young man.

Let's give him another hand.

Actually I'm going to have you say your first name and grade and then just pass it on to the next person.

I am Milo Enstead and I'm in fifth grade at Van Asselt.

My name is Sebastian and I'm in third grade and I work in Van Asselt also.

My name is Sasalee and I'm in fourth grade and I go to the same school as they all do.

My name is Lilia and I'm in third grade and I go to the same school as Van Asselt.

My name is Dahlia and I am in third grade

and I go to the same school.

My name is Jing and I'm in third grade and I go to the same school like everybody.

My name is Angelina and I go to third grade and I'm in the same school as everyone else.

My name is Carl and I also go to the same school.

My name is Kevin Nguyen and I go to the same school as Carl and Lilia.

And I go to third grade.

Thank you very much.

You guys did an amazing job.

Thank you for coming.

Have a wonderful evening.